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Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1882, 

BY C. H. KNAPP, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



C. H. KNAPP & CO., 

rUBLISHERS, 

Wichita, Kansas. 



PREFACE 



^ 



A 



In presenting this unpretending es- 
say to the public for the gratification 
of many friends, the author begs leave to 
: this brief note explanatory of the circumstan- 
ces that have called it forth. 

Having, for several years, looked and hoped for a 
complete translation of the New Testament, a de- 
cree of disappointment was felt by the author and 
his friends-the Oxford edition, of 1881, not filling 
our expectations ; but in looking over the public 
mind, but more especially the minds of those who 
did the work which must be biased by their various 
^ligious parties, we could hardly expect them, in 
this age, to do much better than they have done ; for 
it will be admitted, by every thinking mind, that the 
mantle of darkness thrown over the world by the 
Roman Catholic apostacy still covers the minds of 



all those 



.f>^. 



, teachers whose churches spran; 
out of this old symbolic woman, 
and, perhaps, no man is yet en- 
"- i^^ tirely free from this great moral 
^■^ and mental bondage. 

V^^Mr^ thl reader to the Z7th chapter of Revelations for a descrip- 
uon of this church and of those churches that sprang out of it, and which are 
teaching and practicing falsely, in order that he may more perlectly understand 
the subject under-consideration and the marginal notes accompanying the text 

of the following lines. ' r)r.h..thW 

Pravin- that, as the drop contributes to make up the waters of the globe, this 
little artiekmay contribute to what has been and will be said to press the world 
UP to the point when a ne^v and eomplete translation will be made and re- 
ceived • to the point when men will not ask 'What does our church teach ? but 
- Whai does the Bible say ?" and just be silent where the Bible does not speak ; 
to the friendsof a pure version this essay is effectionately dedicated 

1 HE AU 1 HUK. 
Wichita, Kansas, Feb. i, i83t . 



The New Version. 



4^iOD of the starry heavens attend, 
||fep And all the vast expanse, 
^^And witness, by my theme to all, 
That nothmg comes by chance ; 
That law the universe controls, 

All by Thy guiding hand ; 
That every sparrow fills its place 

And every grain of sand ; 
That every mortal rmis his race 

According to Thy vyill, 
And by th' freedom of Thy grace 
He chooses good or ill. 

Poor mortals, fated here to live. 

And fated, too, to die. 
There's nothing that I would not give 

To know the reason why. 

We see but one contin'ous round 
Complete in all its parts. 

Where joy, and sorrow too, are found- 
The ebbing of our hearts. 



THE NEW VERSION. 



Could we but tune the poet's lyre, 

And all our thoughts control, 
Fain would we set the world on fire 

To comprehend the whole. 

I place myself in days of yore, 

And stand in Luther's mi<^hty stead, 
While dark the moral billows roar, 

A fearful tempest overhead. 
The stream of time is sweeping by ; 

Her waters, see ! are deep and dark ! 
I hear ten million voices cry. 

The sword of Rome hath pierced my heart ! 
A woman,* such as she, is proud. 

And ne'er embraces honest men. 
She veils her childrent with a cloud, 

And will not own her daughters;]; then. 

In childhood 's|| bright hour 

I stood on the banks of a stream, 

And thoughtlessly plucked a gay flower, 
As homeward I tripped o'er the green. 

Gay as a lark, 

As Light as the air. 
Free as a hart 

From sorrow and care. 

Thus the reformers 

Who had come out of Rome, 

*Chureh. tMembers of her chureh. i The churches that sprang out of the 
Roman Catholic apostacy. ||At the first the Reformation under Lutlier started 
out with bright hopes, but soon ran into a sj-stem resembling Papacy in many 
respects, and many would have returned to the old mother church if they had 
not committed themselves and been cursed by the bulls of the Roman Pontifl". 



THE NEW YEKSION. 



Just followed the paths 
Where their mother had gone ; 

But many in heart 

Returned to their home 

Thus only in part 

We express their sad moan. 

Mother,— O, my mother 1 

The pangs that pierce my soul- 
There surely is no other 

Who can my heart control. 
Her gentle hand it stroked my brow, 

Cold wintry nights she tucked my bed. 
Oh, can it be that even now 

That mother's form lies cold and dead ! 
Though many years have passed away 

Since mother's lips^- have pressed my brow. 
And I, in turn, am growing gray— 

There's sweetness e'en in mother's frown. f 

Is it true ? Can it be 

That in looking to Jesus 
Poor mortals can see ! 

Or is it delusion 
Presented by men ? 

As the woman suspected 
* 'Twas gold in the hen. 

Does it give to me spirit? 
Does it give to me brain ? 

Or what is there in it 
To lessen my pain ? 

whh the old Catholic mother. 



THE NEW VERSION. 

A phantom believed 

Gives present relief ; 
But when undeceived, 

It adds to our grief. 

Many years have been spent 
In th' midst of this strife, 

With a purpose intent 
To live for this life. 

This life in the future, 

From, th' which we are taugin 
There is no departure : 

What a gem ! What a thought ! 

And giving to reason 

The balance of power, 
We conclude that man 

Was not made for an hour. 

So we find the book. 

Whether fable or true, 
Directs where we look 

Bob I. * — and you 

Can see that the aim 

Is most noble and grand, 

For all of its claim 
Is to elevate man. 

But whether it's human, 
Or whether divine, — 



RoT'eri Ingersoll, of Illinois. 



THE NEW VERSION, 



If you're a true man 

You'll have the same mind. 

But all of your efforts, 

If the Book is divine, 
Will tend just to open 

The eyes of the blind. 

To clear away rubbish, 
To scatter the mist, 
To rouse up the sluggish 

Who never should rest. 

Do you see that old fiddle ? 

We'll go to the dance; 
Whatever the tune, 

Like horses we'll prance. 

Why, is this a book ? 

Or is it a fiddle.? 
No wonder men look. 

And call it a riddle. 

But stop, there's something in this matter ; 

A sort of inspiration hue ; 
For God himself is in the clatter, 

And fiddles ev'ry tune for you. 
Luther fiddled for the Pope, 

While inspiration rose. 
Tetzel followed with a rope 

To bring it to a close. 
The Holy See then felt the rage, 

By inspiration given, 



lO THE NEW VERSION. 

And vainly sought to send the sage 

From trouble off to heaven ; 
But Wesley now, with faith, conies in. 
And inspiration higher. 
We see the holy war begin 
With balls of holy fire. 

Spurgeon and Beecher on the train 
Are inspiration bent. 

And millions more, of lesser brain. 
Whom God hath called and sent. 

Sankey and Moody, too, are here, 
Running another train, 

Where Charles J. Guiteau lost cas fear 
And fired up his brain. 

Victoria Woodhull has the fire. 
And Tilton, he hath found it, 

And ev'ry one is called a liar 
Tho will not cling around it. 

Th' Oneida folks are all inspired. 
Of quite a holy kind, 

For when of one th<i\v lusts are tired 
They will another find. 

This is an inspiration rage 
Of Pharasaic leaven ; 

But all the good it ever does 
Is sending saints to heaven — 

Is taking wisdom from the world, 
Its bigotry to give. 

It crucified the son of God 
And let Barabbas live. 
Is hell inspired ? 



THE NEW VERSION. II 

So are men, 

x\nd they are fired, 
Where ? and when ? 

To do some hellish deed, 
To form some ring or creed, 

To keep men from the truth 
Which mortals sadly need. 

The dark clouds of Babel* 

Sweep still o'er the sea. 
And man is unable, — 

Oh, mind is not free. 

'-' Babylon the Great," she's 

The mother of women 
Who call themselves churches, 

But still go on sinning. 

Teaching that lewdness 

Is holy delight. 
Claiming by shrewdness 

God gives them the right. 

Teaching — though truth 

In the Bible is found — 
That their creeds, like a spade, 

Dig the gold from the ground. 

But to favor these creeds 

Was the New Version made ? 
Or to darken the deeds 

*The Babylon spoken of in Rev. 17 Chap.; or the Roman Catholic church 
and all that sprang out of it. 



THE NEW VERblON. 



Of a villainous trade? 

Take one expression — • 
Just read it yourself — 

" All rights are reserved," 
Our aim is for pelf. 

And look at Pneuma, if you please, 

And tell me what is in it. 
Does ten years thinking at your ease 

Make angel winds of spirit ? 
Then Agiou Pneuma, Wind Divine, 

They read it Holy Ghost, 
And we are in a windy clime. 

So God is with us most, — 
And then to make the English clear, 

xAnd ev'ry word concise, 
Anath'ma Maranatha hear — 

A beautiful device. 
Let Heaven attend and angels stare, 

And men be silent everywhere, 
And holy martyrs stand aghast 

That such pretenders e'er should dare 
To fill their bitter cup at last. 

God's Holy Word will still declare 
To men and angels here and there. 

His vesture once was dipped in blood, 
Whose name is called the Word of God. 

No spots are on his garments then. 
Declare them sprinkled ye who will, 

Are you among the baser men.? 
Will you a demon's mission fill? 



THE NEW VERSION. 1 3 

Why should you use such rant and tear ? 
My gentle reader, do you say ? 

An answer to this question fair 
I will before you calmly lay. 

Then where is Nasby.? let me ask, 
And why in Erin's isle is he? 

He's gone to tell the world at last 
Why Irish peasants should be free. 

He sees in Kenmore, wet and cold. 
Some thirteen fam'lies of the turf, ^ 

From infant up to grandsire old, 
By British lords turned from their hearth. 

He sees the land of Erin's isle 
By British lords is now controlled, 

And these poor sheep are penned awhile 
Within this muddy British fold. 

He sees, by reading English law, * 

These lords have never owned this land ; 

But like the hawk, to fill their craw, 
Have wrenched it from the peasant's hand. 

He sees Victoria in the game. 
Both lords and knights of standing high. 

The whole nobility in name 
Commit this crime unblushingly. 

Oh, Locke, I wish you'd tell it all. 
I know you would not be believed ; 

But now your efforts they'll forestall, 
And tell the world you are deceived. 

Had I the power I'd tell it all. 
This "joke " before me is so grave. 

It is a deadly leaden pall 



14 THE NEW VERSION. 



That would immortal souls enslave. 

Is this a clique of church and state? 
Of earth and hell coinbined for gain ? 

A few more days they'll have to wait 
Before they gnaw their tongues for pain. 

Then why such language should I use ? 
Would any still this question asi<:? 

An answer then I'll not refuse, 
But humbly will pursue the task. 

There is a nation just and pure, 
Her atmosphere a heavenly clime, 

Her King all maladies can cure 
And add eternity to time. 

His law is perfect, sound and whole, 
His people noted for their works. 

His word obeyed will save the soul, 
Afid leave no moth to gnaw their skirts. 

But priests, and lords, and thrones combined 
Have changed the statutes of our King: 

Mixed up the human with divine 
As though it were a little thing. 

It's not in Kenmore, wet and cold, 
These reverend doctors leave our race : 

But close the entrance of the fold 
That God prepared by sovereign grace. 

Then wonder not, my gentle friend, 
That timid men should speak so bold. 

A little house will me defend 
While wolves are howling round the fold. 

By these and many other things we fear. 
Done by this convention, 



THE NEW VERSION. T5 

To make the English Bible clear 
Ne'er was their intention. 

These wise and rev' rend heads. I 
These guides of fallen men, 

(These holy fathers,) are they dead? 
Or will they die ? and when ? 

Is there not a hell ? 
I never had a doubt, 

But were it not for such as these, 
My Crod could do without. 

Where could our God give such their due ? 
Unless there be a dungeon dark, 

And how protect the good and true 
From such devices? — danming art. 

There is but one Almighty God, 
One truth on ev'ry subject s-poken, 

Revealed in His most holy word — • 
A chain without a link that's broken.^ 

There is no swilvel in this chain. 
God's Holy Book still speaks the same, 

Though oftentimes it's twisted, 
And if a hell must still remain 

For those who will Thy Word defame, 
My God, let them be blistered. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



015 973 244 7 ♦ 



